Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1344. The Ides Of March (2011)

    1344. The Ides Of March (2011)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on May 8, 2016 100-109 mins, 2011, 8 - 10, Drama, May 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, Thriller, United States
    8.1 Brutal, but fascinating
    • Acting 8.1
    • Directing 8.2
    • Story 8.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring; Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman

    Director: George Clooney

    Running Time: 101 mins


    The Ides Of March is an American film about a political campaign leader whose positive outlook on the presidential race is damaged after a tumultuous few weeks in the lead-up to the Ohio primaries.

    I love a good, dark political thriller, and that’s exactly what The Ides Of March is. It’s not only a compelling portrayal of the world behind the faces of modern politics, but it’s an amazingly emotional and often powerfully dark story that will have you hooked from beginning to end, as an unpredictable and high-stakes story unfolds before you.

    One thing that is that this genre does on a pretty consistent basis is give you an engrossing story only through the use of good dialogue, acting and directing. There’s nothing flashy about this film, and apart from its time period, it could have been made at any time in history, but the fact that it remains so compelling despite no glamorous features is testament to how well made it is.

    For one, George Clooney’s directing is excellent. Good Night and Good Luck, another political drama made by Clooney was indeed interesting, but it came across as too factual and bland. Luckily, Clooney has learnt from that and with The Ides Of March made a film that not only tells you about the world of politics, but gives you a truly fascinating personal story to guide you through.

    The one thing that Clooney brilliantly shows is how vulnerable the characters in this situation are. In politics, momentum and public opinion can swing wildly in or out of your favour, often overnight, and that’s so apparent here. Despite the clear competence of all of the campaign officials, Clooney gives the film a sense that there’s always something coming, as if everybody is on the brink of disaster, which makes it a brilliantly tense and compelling movie to watch.

    And the unpredictability then lends itself even further to increasing the emotional power of this story. The film is centred around Ryan Gosling’s character, who finds himself going through hell and back as he prepares his presidential candidate for the Ohio primary election, and with that sense of drama and unpredictability, when things go wrong, they feel so much more important and devastating, thereby heightening the dark and powerful tone that the movie is going for, which was absolutely brilliant to see.

    Overall, I was really impressed with The Ides Of March. It’s a dark and often brutally realistic portrayal of modern politics, but one with fantastic emotional power thanks to George Clooney’s expert direction and one of the best lead performances from Ryan Gosling, and that makes it a thoroughly compelling watch, so that’s why I’m giving it an 8.1.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.6
    Review
    July 17, 20170

    1827. The Big Sick (2017)

    8.0
    Review
    November 22, 20170

    1960. The Class Of 92 (2013)

    8.6
    Review
    October 10, 20150

    1115. The Walk (2015)

    8.4
    Review
    March 6, 20170

    1683. The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966)

    8.0
    Review
    August 4, 20170

    1845. How Most Things Work (2015)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.